Maple Tree Corner, Elterwater

We’ve made it! Apart from a slightly stressful hour at Euston station having to cope with vast hordes of boisterous West Ham fans, whose beer-drinking, raucous chanting and fairly threatening behaviour made us a little anxious, the journey was pretty uneventful. (Apparently they were travelling down to Brighton, where their team were beaten 3-2 by Brighton & Hove Albion.)

The Traveller arrived at Langdale at lunchtime and amused himself around the estate and village until 4.00 pm when his lodge was ready. Our train arrived at Windermere Station on time, just after 4.00 pm, and we headed first for the Lakeland flagship shop right behind the station, where there were a couple of items I wanted to buy. We then popped into Booth’s supermarket next door for a few supplies. Just as we were pushing our trolley round, who should appear beside us but The Traveller, doing a bit of shopping for himself. He drove us back to the estate, where he unpacked our luggage from the car and brought it in to our lodge for us.

After that first, fabulous, cup of tea (make that two cups of tea) and a slice of Betty’s bar each (apricot, oats and seeds with honey) that I’d made before we came away, Smithers and I took ourselves out to stretch our legs on a walk round the estate and out to the village of Elterwater. This is The Britannia Inn, a much-loved pub, with the famous maple tree outside it.